Will Lost Souls Suffer Eternally?

Some Christians feel that in this story of ‘the rich man and Lazarus’ Jesus offered His disciples (and Pharisees, cf. Luke 15:1) gives us a glimpse of what existence in the afterlife is like. Others, citing numerous passages of Scripture that seem to contradict the portrayal of heaven and hell contained in this passage, believe Jesus was teaching an altogether different kind of lesson - a rebuke toward the Pharisees. Israel's Pharisaical religious leaders are represtned in Luke 16:19 as those who were 'rich, and clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day' as the High Priest did.

Unfortunately, many religious teachers have isolated Jesus’ story of ‘the rich man and Lazarus’ from its context and use it to scare people with the supposed ‘eternal torment’ that is due for unbelievers. In this study, we’ll take a closer look at just what a parable really is, and examine the setting in which Jesus told this story. Then we will better understand what lessons there are in the story of ‘the rich man and Lazarus.’

Note that the Pharisees had been listening to Jesus (Luke 15:1-2). So, the ‘rich man and Lazarus’ should be seen in the context of the two preceding parables; 1) the lost sheep, and 2) the prodigal son of a rich man, as the theme of Jesus teaching concerning ‘humility.’ In these we see that Jesus clearly valued rich and poor alike in offering salvation to all the humbled lost souls. The Lord proceeded to contrast His ‘grace to the humble’ versus the monetary view of the Pharisees by presenting the story of the rich man and the beggar, Lazarus.

Luke 16:19 through Luke 16:31 (KJV): ‘The Rich Man and Lazarus’

¹⁹There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: ²⁰And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, ²¹And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

 ²²And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into ‘Abraham’s Bosom’:

the rich man also died, and was buried; ²³And in hell he (the rich man) lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

²⁴And he (the rich man) cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.  ²⁵But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivest thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. ²⁶And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

²⁷Then he (the rich man) said, I pray thee therefore, father (Abraham), that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: ²⁸For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

²⁹Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.  ³⁰And he (rich man) said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. ³¹And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

Most call this one Bible ‘story’ (not a parable) has been the core basis of eternal suffering of the lost for traditional religious people for centuries. The Catholic church used it to extort money from the people to build St Peter’s Cathedral. My study series “Life, Death and Eternal Life” explains several commonly misapplied and misinterpreted Bible verses that seem to support the false pagan idea ‘eternal suffering of the lost.’ Religion’s view of ‘The Rich Man and Lazarus’ can be seen for the fallacy that it is as commonly applied.

Any serious Bible student would have to admit that this story contradicts the core of the truths of the balance of Scripture. We as believers in “the word of God” should know that we are not to make doctrine from the Bibles parables or stories that are unsupported by the balance of Scripture. Parables properly open our understanding as a picture to demonstrate Bible truth, but by its Bible contradictions, ‘the Rich Man and Lazarus’ only confuses our understanding, so we must come to a better understanding of it. Of course, we as students of the Bible, should all know the fact is that our doctrine for this age of the pure grace gospel for the members of “the church which is the body of Christ” comes from the clear teachings of Paul, “the Apostle to the Gentiles” (Rom. 11:13) in his epistles, to be seen in the light of the Bible’s whole context, not from any parables.

Is the story of “The Rich Man and Lazarus” a Parable?  

Well, consider the following commentary concerning ‘parables.’

“This parable is not like Jesus’s other parables, in which spiritual things are represented by similitudes borrowed from worldly things.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary (unabridged) volume 5, page 757.

“We define or describe a parable thus: a parable is a similitude or comparison, by which some certain affair or thing is feigned, and told, as if it were really transacted, and is compared with some ‘spiritual thing,’ or is accommodated to signify it.” From Benjamin Keach, Preaching from the “Types and Metaphors of the Bible,” page 239.)

Now, let’s do a simple comparison with another parable found in the previous chapter, ‘the prodigal son.’ The account of ‘the prodigal son’ is seen by all as a parable that conveys rich spiritual truth, unlike ‘the rich man and Lazarus.’ Both do have certain characters as metaphors for the self-righteous Pharisees:

• In ‘The Prodigal Son’ parable we have the boy’s father as God; but in this parable, oddly, its ‘Father Abraham.’
• Second, the two individuals representing the Pharisees in each: the elder son in the Prodigal and the rich man.
• Third, the Prodigal son is in want, perishing with hunger, while the other parable presents a beggar, perishing with hunger.
• Fourth, the Prodigal, whom the father declares to have been dead is returned unto him and is now alive: he is comforted at the father’s house. In the other parable, Lazarus, the beggar, is declared dead, but he is very much alive in the so-called “Abraham’s bosom,” which appears nowhere else in the Bible.

Note that the “rich man” is very pious as are the Pharisees he represents: he considers Abraham as his father since he is a “Son of Abraham”! The rich man cries out: “Father Abraham” and Abraham addresses him as “Son!" Thus, satire is used by our Lord in this parable because the fact is the Bible tells us Abraham is dead and buried (Gen 49:31) in a grave, where we know “the dead know nothing” (cf. Eccl. 9:5).

Note also that just prior to teaching the parable of ‘the rich man and Lazarus,’ Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for their love of mammon (money). The scripture makes known their covetousness. The Lord exposes them as “they which justify yourselves before men. . .God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.” (Luke 16:15) This line continues in v19 with “There was a certain rich man…”

Note that in John 8 the Pharisees, as on other occasions, boasted that Abraham is their father; to which Jesus replied, “If ye (the Pharisees) were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham… Ye are of your father the Devil.” (John 8:44) In light of this, Jesus uses the terms, “Father Abraham,” and “Son,” relating the Pharisees as sons of Abraham in the flesh, ‘racially’ only. They were not sons of Abraham in Abraham’s Faith. Then note that the rich man’s cry was to Abraham; not to “the God of Abraham”!

Thus, the Lord Jesus paints a picture for the Pharisees, by using satire; making a mockery of those ‘religious leaders,’ the ‘children of Abraham in the flesh!’ Jesus called these Pharisees a “generation of vipers.”

“But when he (Jesus) saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” (Matt. 3:7)

• Here in ‘the rich man and Lazarus’ He uses the Pharisees own false teachings against them. Jesus’ story of ‘rich man and Lazarus’ story pictures “hades” (Hell), as a place of torment, applying it to both the self-righteous Pharisees and the awful Rich Man. (Actually ‘hades’ is Biblically defined as the temporary abode of “the grave” where the dead “sleep”).
• Yet, most Christians think no study of “hades” as a place of torment would be complete without addressing Jesus’ parable “The Rich Man and Lazarus.” They use the ‘parable’ as the foundation of the traditional erroneous religious view of an ‘eternal fiery torment’ for wicked or lost souls. Actually, the “rich man” is seen as “rich,’ not evil. With the Pharisees it was all about money. But Christendom rest its misinterpretation of “the lake of fire” on this one story. Most of Christendom today will use this parable of Jesus’ as proof of an everlasting punishment awaiting the wicked lost.

Actually, Jesus’s teaching here a critique of the Pharisees, as recorded in Luke chaps.14-16. Luke 15:1-2 Then drew near unto him (Jesus) all the publicans and sinners for to hear him (Jesus). ² And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man (Jesus) receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.

As background, the greedy Pharisees viewed thei earthly wealth as a sign of God’s ‘favor on them.’ So, when Jesus told the story about “The Rich Man” Going to Hell, while The Beggar Found Comfort in Heaven, Jesus was directly Attacking… the Significance and Value the Pharisees Had Put on Their “Wealth” as evidence of their virtue as supposed ‘sons of Abraham.’  “Abraham’s Bosom” is not used anywhere else.

In Jesus using the language of the Pharisees, speaking of “Abraham’s Bosom,” the Pharisees knew exactly what Jesus meant. The Pharisee’s had their own nuanced teachings adding to “the Law,” about wealth as a sign of God’s favor for the pious as ‘sons of Abraham.’ The Pharisees’ motivation for their teachings was to increase their wealth and their power by exploiting the people, while misrepresenting God’s true message for Israel.

With this story, Jesus is continually highlighting the unscriptural teachings of the Pharisees. Jesus’ introductory words expose the story as a mocking of the ‘greed’ of the Pharisees. Christ was here engaged in a pointed dialog with the Pharisees about their false teachings, self-righteousness, and greed.

⁹And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. ¹¹If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? ¹³No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. (Luke 16:9, 11, 13)

Jesus made the Pharisees teachings to be seen as self-serving and foolish. See if you can find the many unscriptural items mentioned here in this story of “the rich man and Lazarus,” (below) which contradict truth that is revealed in the balance of “the word of God,” in its context. The facts below reveal Jesus’ words of “the rich man and Lazarus” as disdainful of the Pharisees. The ‘rich man and Lazarus,’ is NOT to convey Bible truth for us concerning that which follows death for the lost nor for the righteous “in Christ.”

Consider here below how this story is presented in contrast to revealed Biblical facts of truth.

1. First, we know Abraham, though faithful, was just a man like any other. This is the ONLY mention of “Abraham’s bosom” in the whole Bible. “Abraham’s bosom” was a creation of the teachings of the Pharisees, just as preachers today create unbiblical myths. Jesus here is simply using the language of the Pharisee’s false teaching to expose them.
2. Notice that the appeal of “the rich man” was to “father Abraham” (v24), not “the God of Abraham.”
3. We know that Abraham is dead and asleep in the cave of his grave with Sara. “And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre: the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan.” (Gen. 23:19) Abraham was then and is now hardly able to speak to “the rich man.”
4. Then, the fictional “fixed gulf” of the ‘story,’ between heaven and hell, is apparently Not So Fixed as to prevent communication between them, according to this ‘story.’
5. If the wicked could already be in the “flames” of a hell-fire but in “the grave.” This cannot be, for they would have to have been pre-judged before “the Great White Throne” Judgment, so of course this is not so.
6. And the “flames” portrayed as in hell-fire are said to be so weak that those in the flames can carry on normal conversation and expect only a drop of water would soothe them! This is hardly a picture of torment. Actually, in hell (Gk. hades, “the grave”) there is ‘no consciousness’ (cf. Eccl 9:6-7) and there is no “flame” while men “sleep” in “the grave.” The Bible clearly tells us, while dead men sleep in “the grave” ... and that “the dead know nothing” (Eccl. 9:5)
7. This story gives dead Israelites… living bodies and consciousness while asleep in “the grave” even before Christ’s 2^nd coming to awaken the righteous dead of Israel in the 1^st resurrection (Rev. 20:6).
   1. Eccl. 9:6-7 (the dead) their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.
   2. Eccl. 9:10 for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in ‘the grave,’ whither thou goest.
8. That the dead can converse with each other is not scriptural. Ecclesiastes says the dead no nothing and do not speak, hear or perceive. (Eccl. 9:5-6, 10; Job 14:12, 21)
9. In their ministries, both Jesus of Nazareth’s to Israel, and Paul words to the Gentile “body of Christ” were God’s truth tellers (cf. Jn. 1:14, Rom 9:1), both were opposed by the Pharisees. So why would we take the false ideas and teachings of the Pharisees as doctrine for believers of this or any age?
10. Finally, the Bible says plainly that the righteous of the O.T will awaken from “the grave (hades)” to be resurrected in the “1^st resurrection” (Rev. 20:6), to receive new glorious bodies at Christ’s 2^nd coming.

Paul clearly says the dead who “sleep in Jesus,” and the living grace believing members of “the body of Christ” this age of grace will be Raptured in their glorious spirit-bodies (1 Cor. 15:51-52, 1Thes. 4:13-18).

The revealed truth from the balance of Scripture is that the lost wicked will be resurrected from the dead in a 2^nd resurrection, to occur about thousand years “the 1^st resurrection,” then to be judged at “the Great White Throne” (Rev. 20:5-6), and then go to their “eternal destruction (2Thes 1:9) in “the lake of fire.”

Jesus’ story of ‘the rich man and Lazarus’ contradicts so many of the plain words of the Bible. In the light of all this, it seems clear that the story cannot be a parable or literal, it clearly appears be a story to expose and mock the Pharisees false preaching and their corrupt motives. Jesus used it to make fools out of the Pharisees by using their own false teachings and values in this story.

The Pharisees believed and taught many things that were not according to the Scriptures. Among them was that Jews, upon death, would go to “Abraham’s bosom” to live in “Paradise.” Contradicting Scripture, this is not true. This version of the belief in immortal souls in torment is not scriptural, having its roots in the kingdom of Babylon. Many of the doctrines of the ancient pagan religions were mingled by the Pharisees with the true teachings of God. The erroneous idea of eternal torment was not universally accepted by the Jewish people. The Sadducees, disbelieved in any resurrection at all. Therefore, because Christ was speaking specifically to the Pharisees, He used their own language to emphasize His point.

The two preceding parables to ‘the rich man’ tell us God values the rich and poor alike, offering salvation to all humbled lost souls alike. The Pharisees sought to extort money from the people; erroneously teaching that if a man were rich, he would be condemned to a fiery torment, while a man poor man, especially if he gave his money to the religious Pharisees, would enter into a Paradise in “Abraham’s Bosom.”

Note the Pharisee’s emphasis was on ‘money, rich and poor,’ instead of salvation offered to Israel and obtained by extension of God’s love by grace through faith as expressed by obeying “the Mosaic Law” with its sacrifices. The Pharisees’ doctrine taught that entry into eternal life or eternal punishment is based on wealth. Nowhere in the parable does it say that the Rich Man was ‘evil’ or that Lazarus was ‘good,’ only that … one was rich and one was poor… emphasizing money!

Jesus was using this sardonic story to illustrate the untrue, self-interested, teachings of the Pharisees. The parables of Luke 14 to the end of chapter 16 set forth a direct chastisement of the Pharisees and their false, self-righteous teachings and greed. Jesus uses the Pharisees false teachings and their corrupt teaching against them, making an open mockery of their corrupt teachings. So, any attempt to frame a doctrine of hell as the place everlasting torment of souls based upon this story is to overlook all of its obvious contradictions it has with the rest of Scripture, which clearly tells us over and over that all the dead “sleep” in “the grave,” whether righteous or wicked, all await their respective resurrections.

The Biblical facts are that while “asleep” in “the grave” people do not hurt, do not speak, and are not conscious, and know nothing … until they are resurrected to their just reward (Eccl 9:5-6; 12:6-7, Rev 20:5-6).

The destiny of the dead is either;

• Rapture to reign in heaven - for the believing members of “the church, the body of Christ,”
• Or, to reign on earth - for the OT believing saints, in the Millennial kingdom to come on earth;
• Or, the lost will resurrect to “stand” at the “Great White Throne Judgment” where it is determined that their “spirit will return to the Lord who gave it” (Eccl 12:7), then their spiritless and lifeless bodies will be utterly destroyed, cremated in “the lake of fire,” … burnt to ashes!

I encourage all to read Jesus’ story of the Rich Man and Lazarus as a whole, in context, and in the light of revealed Bible truth, to come to your own conclusions.

Now consider what will happen to “the wicked” lost and unbelieving souls? “For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.” Psalms 37:10.

Note that the proper Bible hermeneutic (interpretive) rules tell us we should always interpret the words of the Bible literally, unless the context clearly makes it otherwise. That’s how God intended His Word to be understood and interpreted. Otherwise, when the Bible is not taken literally, our understanding of the Word is left to the opinions and imaginations of fallible sin-laden mankind. Let’s here apply this hermeneutic rule as we read these verses below, noting the words; perish, destroy, ‘be no more,’ death, die, consume, devour, ‘bring to ashes,’ etc.

• Will the wicked go on living throughout eternity? “But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.” Psalms 37:20.

• Some ask; “So, the wicked will be destroyed and not burn forever?” Correct!

“But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.” Psalms 37:38.

• But doesn’t “cut off” only mean they will be separated from God? This idea is a false religious tradition

“As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.” Psalms 68:2.

• So, then this must mean that the wicked will be no more or consumed! “Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the LORD, O my soul. Praise ye the LORD.” Psalms 104:35.

• So, there will be a final destruction of the wicked, they will not burn in hell for eternity?

“The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.” Psalms 145:20.

• What method will God use to destroy the wicked?

“Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it.” Isaiah 47:14.

• But many say, “I thought the soul never dies?” To “die,” below, means to “cease to alive.” “Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” Ezekiel 18:4.

• How does God feel about the final destruction of the wicked?

“Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” Eze. 33:11.

• So, after the destruction of the wicked, sin will not rise up again? “What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time. For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry.” Nahum 1:9-10.

• How complete will the final destruction of the wicked be? “For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.” Malachi 4:1.

• Does the New Testament talk about the destruction of the wicked? Jesus said; “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:” Matthew 7:13

• Does the New Testament speak about the soul dying? Jesus said;

“… but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28b.

“Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord…” 2 Thessalonians 1:9

• When will all of this take place? Jesus said;

“… the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so, shall it be in the end of this world (age).” Mat. 13:40.

• Matthew 25:41 speaks of “everlasting fire” for the wicked. Does it go out? Jesus said; “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:”

Yes, according to the Bible, it does go out. But we must let the Bible explain itself. Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed with everlasting, or eternal fire, that fire turned them “into ashes” as a warning to “those that after should live ungodly.” The fire is everlasting, but for the consumed wicked… it is out.

“as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” Jude 1:7.
“And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;” 2 Peter 2:6.

These cities are not burning today. The fire went out when everything was burned up.

Likewise, everlasting fire will cease its work upon “the wicked” after it has turned the wicked to ashes.

“And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.” Malachi 4:3.

The fire and its effects are ‘everlasting,’ but not the burning of the wicked lost souls.

• Doesn’t Matthew 25:46 say the wicked will receive “everlasting punishment”?

 “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” (Matt. 25:46)

NOTE: Notice the words are “everlasting punishment,” is not “everlasting punishing.” Punishing would be continuous, while a “punishment” is one conclusive act. The “everlasting punishment” of the wicked is death, this death is everlasting. Nowhere in the Bible does it say the wicked will receive a continuing eternal life.

• What will happen to the “saved”? “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish (Gk. apollymi, be utterly destroyed), but have (the) Everlasting Life.” John 3:16.

• What are the wages of sin according to the book of Romans?

“the wages of sin is death (not suffering); but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ...” Rom. 6:23.

• What will happen to the Devil, will he be destroyed also?

“… that through death he might ‘destroy’ him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;” Hebrews 2:14.
“(Lucifer) Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay they before kings, that they may behold thee. Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of they traffick; therefore I will bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.” Ezekiel 28:17-18.

• It’s impossible for sinners to be in the presence of God because “our God is a ‘consuming’ fire.” Heb. 12:29.

• What example does the Bible use to show that God will destroy the wicked by fire?
“And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;” 2 Peter 2:6.

• Where will this fire occur that destroys the wicked? “But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” 2 Peter 3:7.

• Doesn’t God want us to repent? What will ultimately happen to the whole earth?
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” ¹⁰the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works (of man) that are therein shall be burned up.” 2 Peter 3:9-10.

• Doesn’t Jude 1:7 talk about eternal fire?
“Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” Jude 1:7.

Note that these ‘cities’ are not burning today. The fire went out after everything was burned up. Likewise, everlasting fire will go out for those wicked who are turned to ashes.

• Where will the fire come from? “And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.” Revelation 20:9.

• Is the second death final?
“And death and hell (hades) were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” Revelation 20:14.
“the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” Rev. 21:8.

• Will the Devil be burned up completely? No! Will the Devil cease to exist? No!

“Thou (Lucifer) hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffic; therefore will I bring forth a Fire From The Midst Of Thee, it shall devour (Heb. akal, eat at) thee, and I (he Lord) will bring thee to ashes (Heb. eper, worthlessness) upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. (sealed in the “pit” during the Tribulation) ¹⁹All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be (a terror) any more.” Ezekiel 28:18-19

• What about the verse in Revelation 20:10 where it talks about the devil, the beast and false prophet being tormented for ever and ever. Doesn’t that show that hell fire is forever or eternal?

“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever (Gk. aion, age upon age).” Rev. 20:10

Sadly, the teaching of ‘eternal torment of lost souls’ is wrong. The verse applies only to the Devil and his angels, not to lost man. This religious error has done more to drive people to atheism and insanity than any other religious invention of the Devil that was widely use in the Catholic church during the middle ages to raise money. It is slander upon the loving character of a tender, gracious heavenly Father and this lie has done untold harm to the Christian cause.

By contrast, in the case of ‘lost mankind’ “for ever” is only “as long as he lives,” that is “until his death.”

“For this God is our God for ever and ever (age upon age): he will be our guide even unto death (Heb. mut labben, meaning, as long as he lives) Psalm 48:14 “Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.” (obviously only ‘until death’)” Exo. 21:6

So, the wicked lost souls will burn in the fire only ‘as long as they live,’ meaning ‘until they are consumed.”